A Mage Story
by jrules
Summary: This is a female/mage/Alistair.  It will touch on, but not follow the events of origins, its the result of my own personal plot bunnies. Rated M for future content.
1. Chapter 1

This is my second fan fiction story and yes I do realize I'm stretching my creative juices by having two very different stories going at once, but this one was absolutely screaming at me to be written! It is the only way I can get it out of my head. I'm beginning to think that I need to find a Dragon Age Anonymous club!

If you enjoy my ramblings feel free to review and give your suggestions or story ideas, etc.

As usual, Bioware own all characters so if you recognize it, its theirs.

This story is the result of me wondering about the chastened tribes in Ferelden. What if they weren't just a small band of nomads, but a deep culture existing similar to the way Native Americans did, long before the land had been occupied by civilized men.

I now have a much deeper understanding when other writers complain about plot bunnies running rampant in their head! So here is mine.

This will eventually be a female mage / Alistair romance, but it will take a long convoluted path. Also don't expect it to follow the game plot, I intend to take this story wherever my mind, or the mind of my readers wanders. Enjoy!

The Circle

There was something going on, she wasn't sure what; but everyone was bustling around, busier than usual. The tower was in a heightened state. There were visitors, and this in and of itself was very unusual. There were almost never visitors to the Circle of Magi tower.

She pondered the meaning of visitors while sitting in the apprentice dormitory on her usual bunk. Maybe now would be a good time to attempt to escape. She was _always_ thinking of escape, working out detailed plans in her mind. She hated it here. Hated it so much that she had even considered ending her own life to get out of this prison. Had even made feeble attempts at that as well. The idiots had thought she was attempting blood magic, but couldn't prove it. They had thrown her into the dungeons for months after that one. She had managed to convince them that she wasn't using forbidden magic in the end. She had paid a high price though. But if she thought hard about it, she really did want to live. She just wanted to get out of this wretched place.

She hated almost everyone in this place, mages and templars alike. How she wished for her old life back. Living freely, relying upon the land for her needs traveling with her tribe. Her father was a chieftain among the chastened warriors and if she had not been captured that day she would have been a powerful woman with status. Perhaps even a chief herself someday.

Her thoughts returned to her current situation. She frowned deeply. She hated the templars because of their unrelenting watchfulness of them. The way they looked at her like she would explode at any minute. Over the years there had been some who were worse than others. Those that looked at her with pure hatred in their eyes were not the ones she feared the most. It was the ones that hid something else behind the hatred. Lust perhaps, desire, not the normal desire. But the desire to dominate mages by whatever method they could. She shuddered, now was not the time to think about that. There was _never_ a good time to think about that.

She hated the mages too, weaklings who merely allowed their captors to do whatever they wished to them. They cow towed to their captors all too easily. She knew that if she could find mages willing to assist her in her escape attempts that it would work. But, she could never find willing accomplices. They were too afraid of their captors to even think of such things. Weak willed idiots, she thought.

They were also slightly afraid of her. No, not slightly she thought with a smirk. They all feared her both mages and templars alike. She was a powerful mage. Her spells were easily twice as powerful as most of the other apprentice weaklings. Between that and her attitude and her rebellious ways, and her sharp tongue she had never managed to make friends at the tower. So she had never been able to find fellow mages willing to make an escape attempt.

She sighed; it didn't really bother her much. She _knew_ that someday she would get out of this hellhole and return to her people. She didn't need to befriend any of them. She felt a twinge of regret about the way she behaved over the years, if she had been more docile perhaps she would have found other mages to assist her? Oh well, too late to change now. The hatred that she held so close had kept her from losing herself through the years of torture and abuse.

Unlike a lot of the other apprentice mages, she had been taken when she was older. Most were brought to the circle tower when they first showed signs of magic, at the age of seven or so. She however had arrived when she was thirteen, and she remembered the life she had lost. Remembered her friends, her family. It made her bitter and rebellious. She had fought against the templars, and her teachers at every turn.

She was determined to make their lives as miserable as they in turn made hers. She wasn't really succeeding though, if she was honest with herself. They were definitely winning that battle. She had the scars to prove it. She had been beaten so many times she had lost count. She was also intimately familiar with the tower dungeons; she had spent almost as much time down there as she had in the dormitories. She had gained a reputation among both the templars and senior mages as a hellion. A troublemaker, she knew she had pressed her luck, but she could not care less.

She was beginning to worry that they were considering making her tranquil. The first enchanter had called her into his office just the day before to discuss her behavior. He talked to her gently, he was a kind man and seemed to care for her in his own way. She was one of the few people in this place that she had respect for. He worked tirelessly to maintain the uneasy balance between templars and mages. She knew that he had little choice in the matter, but he did what he could.

Irving had looked at her with sadness in his eyes as he said "you do not make this easy for me, you know." She knew what he meant. She secretly regretted any pain she had caused him, the others, they didn't matter. "I am sorry senior enchanter, I know I have been difficult." She didn't know what else to say, she could not be anyone other than who she was. She hung her head down. He had cared for her almost like a father; he knew the story of how she came to be in the circle. He also knew it was harder for her than the others because she was older when she arrived. She had been on the edge between childhood and adulthood. A difficult time of life to say the least; and then to be torn from her family, her life, all of it ripped away in an instant. How could they expect her to be anything else?

She had promised Irving she would try harder, and she really did mean it . If nothing else for him. Her mind wandered back to the activity in the tower. She wanted to know who the visitors were and what they wanted.

She snuck out of her dormitory as quietly as she could. She quickly came upon a group of templars and tucked herself back into the shadows as she listened. "War will be here soon, if the mages can help then I say put them on the front lines so we can be rid of them!"

She recognized the voice, an older templar named Garrick. He was one of the few she feared. His hatred for mages ran deep and she had found herself the brunt of his anger many times. He was skilled at hiding his blows so that the other templars would not find out she had been beaten. He had blackmailed her into not saying anything by threatening to expose her as a blood mage. She was not of course, but it wouldn't take much to convince the others if he made the accusation. She almost growled as she thought about it. "No" she breathed, she cannot do this now. She threw those memories down deep, mentally placing them into a trunk as she closed the lid and locked it tight. Perhaps one day, she would find herself in position to repay him for what he had done.

She continued quietly using her skills to blend into the shadows and made her way outside the senior enchanters office. She listened closely. The voices inside were arguing heatedly. She recognized Irving's voice, and also Vallena. She was an elf mage and the head of the primal school. One of her main teachers here at the tower. Here was another mage she had learned a grudging respect for. Other voices intermingled with theirs as she listened.

"Mages are needed for the coming war to fight with King Cailan" someone said. "Agreed," said Irving's voice, "but we cannot force mages to fight and die, this must be their choice." "Mages have no choice," said another voice, she recognized the Knight Commander. "I say we each come up with a list of the most likely candidates and then work from there." "Very well" said Irving, "we will speak on this again soon I am sure."

As she heard the meeting break up she sped away as quietly as she could to get back to her dormitory unseen. She got back safely, she was a bundle of nerves. The King needed mages for the war with the darkspawn! This was an opportunity she intended to make the most of. An opportunity that might never be repeated. She had to find a way to be included in the mages chosen for the army! She felt that this was her moment and that if it slipped out of her fingers she would regret it for eternity.

For the next few days, Shelina attempted to blend in with the other apprentices and did her best to stay out of trouble, for once. She listened intently when she heard snatches of conversation. Apparently the lists had been made and the mages were to be gathered to be given the choice to fight for Ferelden. She however was not on that list, mainly because she was still an apprentice and had not yet passed her harrowing. By the Gods! She had to get on that list or die trying!

She approached Irving when the opportunity arose. "First Enchanter" she said. "You know that the tower is not the place for me, I will never be able to submit myself to the will of the templars, or the Chantry. I will never be more than a thorn your side. Will you consider allowing me to fight the coming darkspawn?"

"You may find this hard to believe, but I have indeed considered it. You are one of the most powerful mages I have ever seen here in the tower; you would be a force to be reckoned with. But, the Knight Commander fears you, he believes that if you are allowed to join the battle, you will find a way to escape and eventually become a threat to Ferelden." She could hardly blame the commander for thinking these thoughts. She took heart though, knowing that Irving might be convinced to argue her cause.

"Is there nothing I can do to convince him that I would fight to the best of my ability to defeat the foul creatures threatening our land?" she asked.

"I do not know" said Irving. He had a pensive look on his face and stroked his graying beard deep in thought. "Perhaps there is another way, but, it would be infinitely more difficult." She glared at Irving with a defiant look "you know I would do anything to be out of the tower."

"Anything" he questioned. "We shall see, but, you are still an apprentice anyway, but perhaps." His voice trailed off. Irving was deep in thought. He remembered back to when this willful girl was brought before him. He had thought it a mistake to take in an apprentice at this age, but he had little choice.

He had sought the advice of other senior enchanters concerning the girl. None of them had any useful advice until he had sought out, Tannita. She was an elf mage who came to them from the Dalish. She was the only one who had ever come to them from their ranks, and this had been her own choice. He did not understand her reasons, but she had proven to be a strong ally over the years. She had learned her magic from the elves and it was different from the magic they taught at the tower.

She was a seer. One who could place her mind into a meditative state and see glimpses into the future. It was never a clear picture, but it often led to insights that proved useful. Her visions had always proved correct, and sometimes he gleaned important information from them. He had kept her abilities from the Templars a secret. He knew they would fear it and probably insist that she be put to the sword because of it. He had come to rely on her heavily over the years, and it was her that helped him maintain balance between templars and mages.

It was because of her that he knew that the darkspawn invasion was indeed a blight, something few others agreed with. They foolishly felt otherwise, but Tannita had told him that the archdemon was indeed behind this. He also knew that if they failed against the darkspawn that the future of humanity in Thedas would be threatened as it had never been before.

When he had asked her about their new charge. She had responded that she would meditate for an answer. When she returned to him after several days she had some very interesting and disturbing thoughts about the girl.

"She is a most powerful mage" which they both already knew. "She may even become too powerful to control one day. She is a child with a destiny." Irving listened quietly to what Tannita had to say. He had felt the same, this child had a purpose, but he had no idea what it was.

"She is not meant to stay in the tower, she will one day change the future of Ferelden." I cannot see clearly the part that she is meant to play, but, I do know that without her there will be much death and destruction. Perhaps even the end of our days." She frowned when she thought of this. The images in her mind were not clear, but she felt that this girl would be the catalyst. Her visions had been disturbing, but she knew without a doubt that this girl was the key. She just could not see where she fit into the scheme of things.

"Thank you Tannita, you have been most helpful" Irving had said at the time. As he thought on it now, he wondered if her time had come? He would have to think on it further. For now, however, he came to a decision.

"Your harrowing will be tomorrow" he said without further explanation. He knew the girl was ready, he had actually planned on doing it before the impending war had been bought to their doorstep. As for the rest, he would need to consult with Tannita again.

Shelina was shocked by his statement. Her face showed her surprise. She had been anxiously awaiting her harrowing, had even started to worry that she would be made tranquil if she did not change her rebellious ways. But to have him say it outloud gave her a shiver down her spine. "As you wish First Enchanter" was all she had been able to say. "Return to your dormitory and prepare yourself" Irving said still looking pensive. She left quietly and did as she was asked.

She tried to calm her thoughts to prepare for the harrowing, but found that she was wound tighter than a drum. She could hardly stand the waiting. She wanted to get the ritual over with.

The next day before dawn two templars came for her and ushered her to the harrowing chamber. The test had been a simple one, resist the request of demons to enter the land of the living. She had passed it easily. There was no need for the circle of templars with their blades ready to cut her down if she was unable to resist the calls of demons.

She could have told them that, her own people had prepared her to face down demons almost from the first day that her magic abilities had been discovered. In this respect the circle could not teach her anything that she didn't already know. Although she did learn from the circle mages, her own people had been much more powerful.

Most of Ferelden was oblivious to this information though, as the tribes had kept their secrets and no one would give them up, even when tortured. She herself had given no information. She almost laughed out loud when she thought of the many tribes of the chastened hidden deep in the wilds. Existing in almost total secret. Even the name given them by Fereldens was silly, who came up with chastened anyway?

Her people were proud, strong, skilled magicians schooled in the old ways. Individual clans alone numbered in the thousands and the naïve fools didn't even know they existed.

As she considered all of this she picked at her apprentice robes. How she hated wearing dresses! Who had come up with this idea that people with magical power, both male and female, should all wear flowing robes? Even the Templars wore something similar.

By the Gods, she _had_ to get out of here!


	2. Chapter 2

Sorry it has taken some time to get another chapter posted, I like to write it and then let it stew for a while. You know, see what comes of the plot bunnies I throw together!

Anyway bioware owns all characters and settings. I hope you enjoy and please feel free to review, I do enjoy seeing that someone besides myself is enjoying my demented ramblings.

~OoOoOoOoOo~

Chapter 2

The chosen mages were being summoned, she knew it. No one said so outright, but templars were wandering around the circle tower gathering mages and sending them to the common room on the third floor. Shelina could sense the tension in the air as senior mages, as well as lower ones were being summoned.

She had been moved into the mage quarters only this morning and was still acclimating herself to her new surroundings as she observed this. She hadn't even had a chance to change into her mage robes, they were basically the same as apprentice robes. Only the color was different. She didn't know whose stupid idea it was to give her these ugly mustard yellow colored robes. Granted they held more enchantments, but she preferred the blue ones she wore as an apprentice. It was because of this that she had not yet changed.

She decided to follow along and see what was going on in he common area. If anyone stopped her, she would just play dumb and pretend that wasn't really where she was headed.

She entered the room and found a spot near the back where she felt she could go unnoticed. Just then the Knight Commander started to speak. He introduced General Loghain, listing his many accomplishments and then bowed as he allowed Loghain himself to step forward to address the crowd.

Shelina noted that the man looked huge in all that plated armor, his eyes were hard and there were lines around both his eyes and mouth. His face was that of a hardened warrior and it showed. All those hard lines made him appear grim, and determined. Shelina could understand why this man had been made a General. She could sense that he was a shrewd tactician and would show no weakness, to enemies and friends alike. He had a presence and everyone in the room quieted as he looked at them. He seemed to be gauging his audience before deciding what to say.

"I know you all probably have questions about why you were summoned here, I will attempt to answer them now." He went on "Many of you are aware that our country stands at the edge of war, this is not a war over lands, or petty issues regarding borders or trade. This is a war most foul, against a foe that seeks not to take over Ferelden, but to destroy it completely. The darkspawn once again threaten our beloved Ferelden and as the General of King Calain's army I am here to recruit mages to fight in the coming battle."

There was a murmur among the crowd as the group assembled took in the gravity of the words the General had spoken. He continued, ignoring the whispered conversations around him.

His voice was deep and rough, it echoed around the room and Shelina noted that it was the kind of voice that could ring out and make itself heard over the din of battle. She looked closely at the man, trying to get some sense of him. His eyes were a dull gray. She had no doubt that they were sharp though as they traveled over the mages in the room. There was something else there, his eyes were cold. Shelina began to recognize what she saw there; she saw hatred and deception in those eyes.

She considered herself a good judge of character and had practiced studying a persons eyes to see the truths or lies, that were in them. If you looked hard enough, you could see it. A man could lie with words and with facial expressions; but the eyes would always tell the truth. It had saved her many times when she was able to look at both templars and mages alike to determine their secrets. His eyes held many secrets and even though she did not feel a particular kinship with the mages here, she suddenly felt sorry for them. She remembered the words she overheard previously "send them to the front lines so we can be rid of them."

This man felt no kindness toward mages, he was only looking for fodder for his army. She listened again as he continued. "This war must be ended quickly, we will make our stand at Ostagar and wipe out the darkspawn menace before it has a chance to threaten our families, our mothers and fathers, and our way of life. If you are here in this room now your teachers and peers have chosen you and deemed you able to fight." He continued for some time and Shelina had to admit, it was a good speech. She glanced around and saw that many of her fellow mages were listening intently and some started nodding their heads in agreement with what was being said.

Irving stepped forward then explaining that the decision to fight was to be theirs alone and that if they wished to they could either sign up to go to Ostagar or return to their quarters. No one would be forced to do either if it was not his or her will. Irving went on to explain the dangers of choosing to go with the General's army. He did not say it in so many words, but he gave them the sense that those that left would probably not survive to ever return to the tower.

Mages then started forming a line at a nearby desk to sign their names, while others retreated quietly out of the room. Shelina wanted badly to go sign her name. She decided that she would try it, what harm could it do.

She snuck into the middle section of the line and when she stood in front of the desk and gave her name, the Knight looked up at her and the Knight Commander himself said "do not write her name, she was not chosen and shouldn't even been here." She tried to argue back.

"But I want to go and fight, my spells are as powerful as any other in this room." "You are a willful, undisciplined mage. You would pose a danger outside of the tower." The commander stated flatly.

She looked at him not bothering to conceal her hatred at his words. She couldn't help it then, her anger flared up and she yelled at them. "Then why did you even bother putting me through the harrowing, you should have killed me outright or made me tranquil. It would be better than spending the rest of my life in this place!" Several pairs of eyes turned to her as she struggled to get her emotions back under control. "Your display only confirms my decision." He replied; the anger at her clear in his voice. He nodded to a knight standing at the back and ordered him to escort her back to her room and ensure that she stayed there. The bastard was not even willing to consider her!

So here she was in her new mage quarters fuming. There had to be a way, she could not let them leave the tower without her. She got up and began pacing the room, the templar left to watch her eyed her closely. Dammit, she thought. She started spewing curses as she paced around the room like a caged animal. Her mind was spinning as she tried to come up with a way to change her situation. She could think of none.

Two days later after much ceremony, the mages who had volunteered marched out of the tower with Loghain in the lead. Several Templars went with them to "protect" the mages. They were a relatively small group, but she desperately wished she were one of them. Shelina watched this and her heart sank. There went her opportunity to get out from under the Circle's control. Her hands were balled into tight fists as she worked to keep her anger and frustration under control. She was sure it wouldn't help if she began setting things on fire or throwing lighting bolts randomly around the tower. But it might make her feel better she thought.

She would just have to find another way out of the tower.

Time seemed to pass more slowly after the mages left. Shelina found it hard to focus, her anger was spent and had been replaced with a sense of dread, hopelessness. Though she didn't really understand what she was feeling.

Irving, however, had noticed. She seemed to walk with her head bowed low, never bothering to look up. She was close to breaking he noted with great sadness. He consulted Trianna again concerning the girl.

Some days later, Shelina hadn't even paid attention to the passing of time, she was summoned to the First Enchanters office. She arrived to find Irving speaking to a man she didn't recognize. He was tall, and muscular like Loghain had been, but that was the only similarity. Shelina looked at him, his eyes were a deep dark brown. He had dark hair like hers, his was pulled into a ponytail and his beard was the same color. His skin was darker than most men's she noted, sort of an olive color, similar to her own. As if he spent much of his time out in the sun. His armor even though well polished looked like it had been used hard. It was not the armor of Loghain's men, it was different.

Irving introduced her to the man, "Shelina, this is Duncan of the Grey Wardens, he will be staying with us for a time. Would you please take him to the guest quarters and ensure that his needs are attended to?"

She could not fathom why she was being asked to perform as a serving girl, but agreed to the request. She looked at Duncan and said "if you will follow me."

As they walked Duncan asked "so, how long have you been at the tower?" "Five years" she replied. He looked at her as if expecting her to say more, but she did not offer it. "And where did you live before the tower?" he asked. "The wilds." She said.

He seemed to think on this for a time and said "so you are one of the Kata'an?" She stopped walking and almost stumbled. No one outside the tribes had ever called them that, to them they were called the chastened. Kata'an was the word used by her own people. It meant children of the earth. It was a collective term to describe her people, each tribe had its own name and decorations that distinguished it from others, but this man had shown knowledge of something no outsider should know.

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him. "I have had dealings with your people from time to time, they are skilled warriors with a deep sense of pride and duty to their own." He said this quietly but she was deeply disturbed by his revelation. "Then you also know that my people do not discuss tribe matters with outsiders." "You have no need to fear, I only mention this to you because I suspected that you were one of them. Irving told me the story of how you came to be here at the tower." Shelina sighed, this man knew more than most about who she was and where she came from. "I have a deep respect for the Kata'an." Duncan said.

He continued to ask questions of her as they walked, but they were mostly of small matters. He did not ask more about her people, which allowed her to relax a little. They discussed the coming war with the darkspawn. She found that she enjoyed talking to this man. He seemed genuine and when she looked into his eyes she saw no deceit. She asked questions about the grey wardens and he answered them honestly, but at times he seemed to be holding back information.

She learned that it was the function of the gray wardens to fight on the front lines against the darkspawn and it was their duty alone to kill the archdemon. She had read stories of the gray wardens, she recalled. They were fearless warriors, heroes even, and the names of those that succeeded in killing the archdemon and ending the blight were the stuff of legends.

She began to wonder why this man was here and why Irving had tasked her with showing him to his quarters. Did he have some sort of ulterior motive? Doubtful after her display the other day. She was probably just meant to be something pleasant to look at while going to his quarters. Was this to be the way of things in the future? Eye candy for visiting dignitaries, she sighed to herself.

She delivered Duncan to his quarters and said goodnight. Her duty was done and she had even enjoyed it a little. She returned to her own quarters to turn in for the night.

The next day Duncan was talking with Tannita and Irving in his office. They were talking pleasantries, but Irving knew that Duncan was here for possible Grey Warden recruits and made this point to Duncan.

"I see you are still as keen as ever, First Enchanter" Duncan bowed his head slightly. "It is true what you say, I am indeed looking for a mage recruit for our ranks." Irving smiled, at least now they could get down to business. "Do you have anyone in mind that is both a talented mage and has the qualities needed to be a Grey Warden?" "I have a short list shall we say, but there may be a problem."

"What sort of problem?"

"The Knight Commander may not agree with my recommendations." He said pointedly.

"Ah" said Duncan. "I can see where this could be an issue."

"Indeed" answered Irving. "The mage I think best suited for the job has a bit of a reputation here" he raised an eyebrow as he said this. "There have been … difficulties while adjusting to life in the tower and the Knight Commander feels that this one is a danger. The child was brought to me later than most and it is only due to my insistence that the harrowing was performed and not the right tranquility. If it had been up to him, things would have turned out quite different."

Duncan only nodded, a mage who had difficulty with rules and regulations might not be what he was looking for he thought. Although he trusted Irving's judgment, he would have to meet the candidate and decide for himself.

"I know what you are thinking, Duncan. It is not that this particular mage cannot follow rules, but more that they follow their own code, and question orders when they appear to be arbitrary to the goal."

"Hhmm" said Duncan. "I am not sure that this is a trait that would be valued among the wardens."

"Do you not seek leaders who are able to think for themselves? I believe that the mage in question would be a strong candidate, not only that, the magic our young friend wields is stronger than anything I have seen in years and that is saying something."

"Irving, I will trust your judgment in this, when can I meet him?"

"You have in fact already met her." Irving said with a gleam in his eye.

"You mean the girl who showed me to my quarters?" asked Duncan.

"Yes, she is the one."

Shelina once again found herself summoned to the First Enchanters office. She was not sure if this was a good sign or not. When she arrived both Duncan and Irving were there. She had begun to suspect that Irving had picked her as a possible grey warden. Perhaps that was why she had been asked to escort him. It was an exciting possibility and she steeled herself and her expression so that her emotions wouldn't show.

Duncan turned to her and said "Irving speaks very highly of you, he says that you are a powerful mage and thinks you would be a good addition to the grey wardens." She almost gasped at that, so it was true. Her heart beat a little faster and she could not hide her excitement completely.

"I would gladly serve with the wardens" she said as she bowed her head.

"I am not sure you understand all the implications, but I would be happy to discuss this matter with you further" Duncan said with a smile. Sheleina smiled back, and for once, it was a genuine smile. She had decided long ago that she would do whatever it took to get away from the tower, and this would qualify. She didn't care what being a warden meant, she just wanted to feel the sun on her skin again, the wind, everything. She would be whatever they wanted her to be as long as it was outside this place.

The next few days she spent most of her time with Duncan, answering his questions and asking some of her own. She was beginning to respect the man so it was easy to answer his questions truthfully. She hoped that she was making the right impression.

Then one day Irving brought her into the uppermost chamber of the tower, the harrowing chamber. She did not understand why, this room was reserved for the harrowing ceremony. Duncan was already there, as if waiting for them. Irving looked at Sheleina and explained what was expected "Duncan has asked of your skills as a mage and since you fight differently than the other mages here in the tower, I decided that a demonstration was called for."

Sheleina raised her eyebrow at this, she was never allowed to use her mage skills outside of the classroom and now that she was a harrowed mage, that was becoming more infrequent. "I am not sure I understand first enchanter" Sheleina said. Irving smiled and said "the two of you are going to spar." Shleleina's eyes grew wide as he said that while Duncan coughed and said "I am not sure that this is a good idea Irving." Irving couldn't help but smirk, he knew this mage had more ability than almost any in the tower and her powers were…different than most.

Irving looked at Duncan with a gleam in his eye and said "trust me Duncan, you may find this quite enlightening." Duncan bowed his head "very well, but be warned that I will not make it easy on the girl." Irving laughed fully then, "I never expected you to. Now before you begin, I have something for you." He turned then and retrieved a small package that had been placed in a corner of the room, he handed it to Sheleina and she gasped.

It was her daggers! She had not seen them since the day she had been captured and thought that they had long ago been destroyed. As she looked down at them emotions churned within her. Two wickedly curved blades with a bluish tint, they had runes carved into them out of lyrium that would glow a bright white when activated by her magic. They truly were a thing of beauty. A master craftsman of her tribe had made them specifically for her hands when they discovered that she had the ability to channel her magic through weapons.

She picked them up lovingly and stroked the mother of pearl handles. She looked up at Irving and he nodded to her. She turned to Duncan and it was his turn to look confused. "Irving, I have never known a mage to fight with a weapon other than a staff." He stated flatly. "Indeed" said Irving, "I think you will find this interesting."

Duncan looked at the slight form of the girl in front of him and against his better judgment he said "attack me." Sheleina hesitated and looked to both of the men. "You heard me" he said while drawing his long sword and his own dagger from his back "attack as if your life depended on it."

Sheleina did as she was asked. She was rusty, she thought, it had been a long time since she had held a blade but she dropped into a fighting stance and gauged her opponent. Now she understood why they had done this in the harrowing chamber, it was made so that any stray magic that was cast was absorbed by the walls, insulated as it were.

Sheleina crept forward, eyeing Duncan and trying to decide how to get through his not inconsiderable defenses. She used the dagger in her right hand to cut through the air in front of Duncan, while trying to jab with the one in her left. She wanted to learn how fast he could respond to her attacks. To her dismay he was amazingly quick, considering that he was many years older. As each of her thrust and parries were met easily by one of his blades she grew frustrated. Her eyes squinted and she tried in earnest to best the man. Duncan smiled a bit, realizing that the girl had up until now been mostly testing his skill.

"I thought you were a mage, seeing as how you are in the circle tower and not a rogue" Duncan smirked. He was impressed but would not admit it.

Sheleina focused then, drawing her magic to her and began channeling it through her blades. The runes on the twin daggers began to glow and she could feel the hum of the lyrium on them. Her movements became faster as time seemed to slow. Her thrusts were stronger, the magic gave her power. Her body began to glow slightly as she drew from the fade and before long both of them were sweating and grunting as they fought fiercely. Duncan was skilled, but Sheleina had magic to compensate for his skill and size.

As he began to tire, she saw a chance. As she parried with her dominant hand her other hand was able to sneak inside his defenses and Duncan found her blade pointed at his neck. They stopped and stared at each other. Sheleina herself was amazed. Duncan smiled brightly and said "I believe this is what you would call a draw." Sheleina looked down and saw that his dagger was pointing at her stomach. It seemed they had both found a weak spot at the same time.

Irving began clapping and they both turned to stare at him. "Quite amazing isn't it" he said "magic allows her to fight with a strength and speed that one would not suspect from a woman." Duncan smiled brightly and they both lowered their weapons. Duncan looked at the mage with a newfound respect. He was a seasoned fighter who had trained for years to keep his skills sharp, that this mage had managed to hold her own against him was a feat in and of itself.

Duncan bowed to Sheleina, "I think you would be an excellent addition to the grey wardens, I assume that you can also cast spells to attack foes from a distance?"

"She can at that" Irving said while a large smile played across his lips.

"Then I offer you a place among us if that is what you wish" said Duncan. Sheleina could not believe her ears, she was being offered a way out of the tower and she could barely contain her excitement. "It would be my honor to serve." Duncan and Irving both seemed pleased. Irving turned to her "you may return to your quarters and rest, Duncan and I have things to discuss."

She nodded mutely and even though she was tired and sweaty she practically skipped down the hall to her room. Anyone observing her would have wondered why the normally quiet and aloof girl had such a big smile on her face.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Leaving the Tower

The next morning she was summoned by another mage, she didn't know her name to the First Enchanters office. She had been afraid that the events of the last few days were a dream, but here she was. Standing in the First Enchanters office once again. Duncan was there and so was the Knight Commander. Duncan and Irving had made their case to the commander to take her to Ostagar but the miserable templar was fighting it. The conversation became heated with the Knight Commander yelling that she was a "barely civilized barbarian, always getting into trouble and that she would turn to blood magic at the least provocation."

She was sorely tempted to turn the man into a pile of ashes right then and there. But she stood quietly as the three argued amongst themselves. Duncan and Irving seemed determined so she thought it best that she not get into the argument.

"Enough" the Knight Commander yelled. "I will hear no more, I WILL NOT let you take the mage, she is not trustworthy!"

Shelina felt her heart drop at his words, he would never allow her out of the tower.

Duncan seemed to lose patience at this, he turned to the commander and said in a quiet voice "I had hoped that you would agree with myself and Irving on this. It seems you have left me no choice, however. I hereby conscript this mage into the service of the grey wardens. She will become my responsibility from this moment forward."

The Knight Commander looked incensed, his eyes had grown wide and he was barely concealing his anger. "I am aware of the practice, but I urge you to reconsider. This mage will be trouble." He glared at Duncan, the two men had their eyes locked on one another in quiet struggle. Neither of them willing to back down.

"I have made my decision, we shall take our leave as soon as she is packed and ready for travel." Duncan replied. The Knight Commander then stormed from the room, his armor and heavy metal boots clanking loudly as he slammed the door behind him.

"Well, that went just about how I expected it to" said Irving, his eyes were twinkling in mirth. He turned to look at Shelina and said "I suggest you go pack your things and ready yourself quickly. Meet us at the entrance when you are done."

She didn't have to be told twice and ran to her room. It didn't take long before she went to the main hall and she saw Duncan and Irving waiting before the main doors that led into the outer chamber. "Are you prepared?" asked Duncan. She nodded her reply.

She looked at Irving, and for once she allowed her emotions to show on her face. She would miss this man, he had been kind and taught her much. "Ah child, do not look at me that way, we both know that this is what you have been waiting for since the first day you arrived here."

"That is true First Enchanter, but, I feel I must thank you." She had no idea how to thank him; he had done so much for her. Her expression became one of confusion. Then suddenly she rushed forward and hugged the man fiercely. Irving was surprised by this show of emotion to say the least. He had become accustomed to her usual lack of emotion, he had always suspected that she used it as a shield to keep herself from getting hurt, and his suspicions were now confirmed. He smiled as he hugged her back. "Now, now, don't want to ruin that reputation of yours." They stood there a moment longer and he said quietly so that only she could hear "I will miss you Shelina, the tower will never be the same without you."

Shelina broke the hug and smiled her biggest warmest smile at him then. It was a lovely sight to see her smile without reservation and without worry. It was just too bad she didn't do it more often Irving thought to himself.

Duncan watched calmly, a slight smile of his own on his lips. So the girl does have a heart after all he thought. It is enclosed by high walls, but if he were to be patient with her, show her kindness and nurture compassion he had no doubt that she would become a strong ally for the grey wardens. That is if she survives.

They left quickly and traveled hard. He kept up a blistering pace and he thought that the girl surely would complain. She didn't. He was beginning to like this recruit a lot. He found a spot to make camp just as darkness was closing in around them. "I will find some wood to make a fire, be wary while I am gone." She nodded to him and sat down on the grass.

Duncan was back shortly after and their camp set. He pulled some dried rations from his pack and shared them with her. She had made no attempt to speak with him so they sat in silence while they ate. Duncan told her to rest as he would keep watch. She was thinking of offering to place some protection wards around their camp, but found that it was much easier to simply lie down on her bedroll. She was asleep within minutes.

The next morning Shelina awoke to bright sunshine. She was disoriented at first. The unexpected sensation of warmth on her skin felt wonderful. She looked around for Duncan and saw him preparing food for them. Did the man never rest?

"Did you rest well?" he inquired. "Yes" she said "I had forgotten how wonderful it feels to sleep out in the open and to have the morning sun wake you."

"The novelty will soon wear off, I assure you" he said with a chuckle.

They continued onward for seven days before finally arriving at Ostagar. By that time she was so tired and dusty she thought she might drop. Her robes were a mess and she thought again about the stupidity of mages wearing dresses. One of her first priorities was going to be to find herself something else to wear.

She had no idea if they would give her armor when she became a warden, she didn't like the idea of having to go into battle against darkspawn wearing her robes. She broached the subject with Duncan.

He became evasive with his answer and said that they would discuss it after the joining ceremony. She didn't understand what he implied. "Tell me of this joining ceremony." She said to Duncan. He had never spoken of it before. Duncan became evasive for the first time since she had met him and said "there is a brief ceremony that all new Grey Wardens must go through, although I cannot tell you much of it now, I will answer all of your questions once it is done."

This she could understand, but it felt like Duncan was keeping something important from her. the Grey Wardens would not reveal their secrets before she became one of them. "I will respect your wishes for now, but I expect that once I have gone through this ceremony of yours that you will tell me more of the Grey Wardens and what will be expected of me."

Duncan nodded and said "rest assured that once you are one of us I will tell you everything you need to know and answer any questions you may have." Sheleina looked into Duncan's eyes and believed him, she visibly relaxed knowing that she would have the answers she sought soon.

They traveled along and Sheleina enjoyed the feeling of being outside once again. She had missed the feel of the sun on her skin, the wind on her face. She had almost forgotten these feelings after being locked in the tower for so long. Mages were rarely let outside of the confines of the walls of the tower. Her steps were light and she marveled at the feel of the grass under her feet, how she had missed seeing the ancient forests. At one point when they were walking she caught a sent of something that she could not place, it reminded her of her home and she stopped and closed her eyes just breathing in the smell of clean air. She felt like a child discovering something new with every step she took.

Duncan never slowed his pace however, he insisted that they had to get to Ostagar as quickly as possible. They traveled mostly in silence, Sheleina was never big on small talk and apparently Duncan felt the same.

They made it to Ostagar without incident in good time.

There was a brief meeting with the King of the Ferelden's. Sheleina didn't pay attention much, she could have cared less about their monarchy. She felt no allegiance to the tall blond man in golden armor. These people never really paid much attention to her kind, she was respectful for Duncan's sake but that was all. She didn't speak, merely bowed when she was introduced. She thought it best to simply observe for a time.

As she stood and looked over the ruins of what was once a fortress trying to take it all in. Duncan told her the basic layout of the camp and told her to take some time to adjust and then wandered off without another word.

She wandered the camp wide eyed. It had been so long she had been given even this small amount of freedom she decided to relish it. The people she passed looked at her strangely, she didn't know why they were staring at her so. She kept her face neutral and her head high. She found her way to the cooking fires, following the rumblings of her stomach. She wasn't sure if she was expected to pay for the food or not. She stepped forward following the actions of others and was given a plate with some kind of meat and potatoes. She followed the others and was given a large cup of water as well. Ok that worked well, she thought, now what? There were long tables in a clearing she noted and she made her way over.

She chose an empty table and sat down to eat. She was not alone for long however when a group of armored men joined her. She glanced at them from the corner of her eye and saw that they were templars. By the Gods, would she never escape them? She drank down some of the water finding that she had lost her appetite and tried to leave the table as quietly as possible. She did not go unnoticed however.

One of the largest of the templars stood up and said "Hey, you there, what are you doing away from the mage encampment?" Shelina's blood froze, this was not going to turn out well she thought. She turned to face the man finding that she had quickly been surrounded by no less than four templars. Her fear quickly turned to anger and she spat at the man who had spoken to her "I am a mage indeed, ser templar, but I am here with the grey wardens soon to become one of their ranks. Now if you will excuse me I have things to attend to."

She started to walk away when one of the templars grabbed her arm. That was a mistake, her hatred of templars flared and she threw a mind blast spell before she even took a breath, knocking all of them to the ground. More templars came running forward one of them reached out his arm and drained her manna quickly. She found herself on the ground panting and shaking. She was shaking out of anger because these blasted templars had assumed that she had done something wrong, when in fact she had not. She heard people around her yelling then and felt herself being dragged to her feet, fingers digging into her arms painfully as they started to pull her along.

A man Shelina didn't recognize stepped in front of the templars and said "What in Andraste's name do you think you are doing with the new grey warden recruit?"

The lead templar came forward and explained that they were merely returning a wayward mage to their compound. "And what exactly did she do that convinced you she had escaped the mage encampment, did she attack you?" he asked.

"She did indeed." The tall man frowned at them. "I was watching the whole time, she did not attack you until your goons grabbed her and started hauling her off by force." The man turned to her then, he asked her if she was allright. She yanked her arm away from the templar who had been holding her and said "I'm fine." The barely suppressed anger apparent in her voice.

Lowering his voice slightly, the man spoke slowly and carefully to the templar. "Did you not stop to think that by grabbing a young woman and attempting to take her by force that it would be thought of as a threat?"

"Uuhh, well, you see messer." Was all that the templar was able to stutter out.

"You are in the camp of the Kings army, not in the circle tower and you have overstepped your bounds. This woman is indeed to be a grey warden and if you come within ten paces of her again I will see that the Commander of the Grey himself takes care of your punishment." The threat in his voice was obvious as he glared at the templars.

The templars sauntered back to the mage compound leaving Shelina alone with the man who had intervened. He turned to her then with a grin on his face "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Alistair a member of the Grey Wardens."

Shelina recognized the name, it was the man Duncan had told her about. Great, she thought, I've made quite the first impression as a warden recruit; these people are going to think me an incapable idiot.

Sheleina grumbled and spoke some choice words in her native language knowing that the man would not be able to understand her. Alistair just looked at her strangely.

"Duncan told me that the newest member of our order was to be a circle mage, but I did not expect you to be a woman."

Shelina's eyebrows went up at this. She wondered why the man had stepped in then, perhaps he thought of her as some sort of damsel in distress. By the Gods, this day was not turning out the way she had planned.

"I am Sheleina" she said, "I thank you for your intervention, but it was not necessary." "Oh" said Alistair, "so you were planning to attack four fully armed templars right here in the middle of camp then?" He said with a grin.

She was not sure how to respond to what he said but was angry at herself that the templars had taken her down so easily.

She looked more closely at the man who would be her ally soon. He had short blondish hair that sort of stuck up in the front above his forehead. His features were strong with a square chin, strong jaw, she found his features pleasing. They were very… masculine. She looked him in the eye then, noting that his eyes were the color of warm amber, they were expressive honest eyes, she could not find even the hint of deception in them. She saw only his curiosity.

She felt Alistair grow nervous underneath her gaze and she gave him a faint smile. She found she had to look up at him, he was tall, and she was not considered short for a female. "Are there not other women grey wardens?" she asked.

"There are none here in the camp, although I have heard tales of women grey wardens and seen pictures of them. You know, I never thought of it before, I wonder why there aren't more women grey wardens?"

"So, you wish there were more female grey wardens do you?" Shelina said with a teasing tone. She was actively flirting with him now. What in the heck was she doing, she met this man only five minutes ago. She reigned her emotions back in, she did not want the wardens to think her a fool. Ha, if only they had known her at the tower. But it was different here, she was free and it was having an effect on her. She was almost drunk on all the new experiences. The handsome young man whose company she now found herself in included in those new experiences.

"Would it be so bad if there were more women?" he said. She looked at him again. "Not that I'm some kind of letcher or something, please stop looking at me like that" he said.

"Anyway, I was just coming to get some dinner myself, if you want to finish yours you could join me."

Shelina looked to her uneaten plate of food and decided she was hungry after all. They ate together, she noticed that there were no more templars nearby and she relaxed her guard. After they finished he showed her around the camp and eventually they ended up near Duncan's fire. She settled down in a tent that had been saved for her. She was tired after the forced march and quickly felt her body relax, she fell asleep with a smile on her face. Freedom tasted good she thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Thank you so much Vangran for boosting my confidence and getting me motivated to write another chapter. I had not planned on taking so long to post an update. Its amazing how having someone say they enjoy reading a story can make the plot bunnies jump! Hope you enjoy!

As always Bioware owns all including a good portion of my free time!

~OoOoOoOo~

Chapter 4 – Into the Wilds

The next morning dawned bright and cold, Shelina had no idea what to expect. She wandered over to the smells of food to get breakfast and took her meal off to a quiet corner of the camp to eat. She did not feel comfortable with others, especially if it led to another incident with templars.

While she ate she watched the campsite with wide eyes, she had been locked in the tower for the past five years and everything felt new to her. The smells, sights, sounds and it was all so alien. She remembered what it had been like amongst the members of her clan, but this was so different.

There were people dressed in Chantry Robes, soldiers of all types wearing strange armor, there was a group of warriors that traveled with large dogs, warhounds she was told they were called mabari. So much was going on around her that her brain had a hard time keeping up with it all. It was a far cry from her relatively sheltered life.

There were huge tents decorated with colorful flags that signified the King's camp, the different noble houses flying their colors showing their fealty to their King and the fight against the darkspawn.

Shelina got up after eating and wandered to the edges of the wardens campsite, quietly staying out of sight trying only to observe this secret society of warriors. She observed that they were all men as Alistair had said, men of all different shapes and sizes, elves, humans, rogues, warriors, she didn't think she saw any mages though. Was she the only one?

The group of them seemed to have camaraderie amongst themselves. They joked and slapped each other on their backs, even from this distance Shelina could see that this was a tight knit group. A group that she would soon be joining, but would they accept her? She wondered at this.

She had not felt part of a group since she had left her clan. As she sat there watching the interaction of the wardens she felt a sudden wave of loneliness, her heart ached. It was a part of her that she had kept hidden behind thick walls for a long time. She wondered what had happened to them after she left. Were they even still alive?

She knew that they were threatened by the darkspawn as well, would they have moved before their hunting grounds were overtaken or had they already been overcome. She was not far from the lands of her people, she had heard that this was where the darkspawn had originated from.

With these thoughts swimming around in her mind she did not notice while someone walked up next to her. It was Duncan, she should have heard his armor clinking but apparently she had been too lost in her own thoughts to notice.

He smiled at her and said "They are an interesting bunch aren't they, though we all come from different backgrounds we are united in our cause." Shelina gazed back upon the group before her, one of the largest of them came forward to greet Duncan.

"Harg, Duncan I didn na know you were a back" The man said, He was a bear of a man wearing thick animal hides of a sort that she had never seen before. He had dark hair and a large unruly beard. "I am kenalan, I have brought another recruit to go through the joining."

Kenalan looked down at her and bowed gracefully "Welcome then lass, you are a wee bit small to fight darkspawn ain't ya?" His accent was thick and Shelina wondered where he was from.

Duncan turned to her and said "Kenalan has recently joined our ranks from the Anderfels." That would explain the thick hides, she thought. The Anderfels were known for their harsh winters and brief summers set high up in the mountains to the North.

Duncan looked at Shelina and said, "size is deceiving my friend, Shelina here is a powerful mage, and I for one will be glad to have her amongst us."

"Ah" said Kenalan "then be ye welcome amongst us wee mage." He said with a twinkle to his eye "if you be needin anything, be sure to ask fur me and if any of them soldiers take to bothering ya, I'd be happy to knock about a few heads if need be." He broke into a large grin as he said this and Shelina found reassurance from this bear sized man before her.

The templars would definitely think twice about approaching her if this he was her ally. She smiled and thanked him.

Duncan turned to her then and said, "I must gather the rest of the recruits, meet me at the wardens fire after the noon meal so that we may begin preparations." Shelina nodded as Duncan left her.

She remembered seeing a merchant in the camp and decided to pay him a visit. It didn't go well though, she hadn't considered that she had nothing to trade. Mages at the tower were not given money and she had brought little along with her when she left it.

She was almost at the verge of losing her temper with the idiot of a man but decided that it might be frowned upon if she burned him to a crisp. She stalked away in a huff.

She spent her morning familiarizing herself with the camp and found herself at the dog pens. She had never seen a mabari before, she had only read about them and found that the animals fascinated her.

One of them was penned off away from the others, he was large and powerful, his fur a deep dark brown with intelligent eyes. Before anyone could stop her she had let herself into the pen and was petting him behind his ears.

A man approached "well I can't believe it" he said, "that hound is sick and hasn't let anyone near him and here you are petting him like he's some kind of house pet." They spoke for a time, him telling her the role that the animals would play in the upcoming battle.

After a time Alistair found her wandering the camp and told her it was time to meet Duncan. She followed him to the campfire to meet the recruits who would go through the joining with her.

She listened as they were given instructions as to their task for the day. They were to head out into the forest to obtain vials of darkspawn blood and some sort of old papers that Duncan wanted them to retrieve.

As they headed out into the wilds she looked over her new companions. Jory had been a night in Redcliff and carried a large two handed sword, Daveth was some sort of a thief from Denerim and his weapon of choice was a longbow, he also had daggers for hand to hand combat. Duncan had given her back her daggers which she had strapped to her belt, and Alistair came along as well.

The task seemed simple enough, but she couldn't comprehend why they would want the blood from those creatures. It didn't matter though, it had to be done.

When she saw her first darkspawn she was amazed at how ugly the thing was. Its face was twisted and its mouth seemed too large for its head. They only ran into small groups at first and between the four of them they killed them easily enough. Shelina found that she preferred to cast her spells at a distance to fight these creatures, she didn't like the idea of getting close to the disgusting things.

They gathered the darkspawn blood quickly, filling the vials that Duncan had given them. While they seemed to wander aimlessly in the woods Shelina caught sight of something that looked out of place. A glint of something shiny reflecting in the light caught her eye and she went to investigate.

"I think that the ruins are that way" Alistair said pointing down the trail. "Perhaps we can make it there before dark?"

Shelina did not respond, she stood and walked the opposite direction. "Hey" said Daveth "where are you going?"

"I found some markings that may lead to a cache of weapons or something and I intend to follow it. Go to the ruins if you wish." She waved them off; her tone was not friendly and made it clear that she intended to pursue the markings.

She didn't feel like explaining to them that what she had found was left by a tribe of the Kata'an similar to her own. If she was reading the signs correctly, it meant that someone had left supplies behind to be found by one who knew what they were looking for.

Alistair objected "we need to stay together and return to Duncan as quickly as possible." He said firmly. She pretended not to hear him and kept walking. He looked to the other recruits and said sheepishly, "well I guess we can get the treaties after that then."

They all followed, Daveth joined Shelina and noticed the markings as well. It felt like running around in circles but eventually she found a pack that had been hidden inside a rotted out hollow log.

Shelina was thrilled. She sorted through the bag quickly. There were several weapons, some health poultices and as she looked further she gasped. There was a mage robe. Not the mage robes of those silly circle mages, but a robe that belonged to someone of high rank among the Kata'an. She said a silent prayer to the Gods to thank them, the robe was meant for a woman. As she pulled out the last of the items in the bag she found three beautiful large white feathers. She couldn't believe her luck. They were the symbols of her people.

The tribes wore the symbols of their totems on their bodies. Each clan had a different totem, wolf, bear, elk, fox, etc. The feathers she found signified that these were from the Eagle clan, _her_ clan. She could not believe that this had been an accident. Had someone from her tribe known that she would someday be here and left this for her? She struggled to wrap her mind around the possibility. Had her tribe been here recently? She looked around and saw no other signs of them.

All she saw had been ravaged by the darkspawn. She quietly repacked the items. She was sorely temped to find somewhere secluded to change into the clothing she had found but decided it would be better to wait until she was officially a warden.

"Which way to the ruins" she asked as she turned to Alistair. Her mood had visibly brightened. He pulled out the map and looked at it with a frown, "well I think its this way." He said sheepishly, reading maps was really not his strong suit and it was even more difficult out here were there were hardly any landmarks to go by.

The group walked on when Shelina noted that they appeared to be walking in circles. "Alistair, I am sure we have passed this same pond before, we are walking in circles."

The man pulled out the map again, looking confused. "let me see it" she said. After studying it for a time she decided that they needed to head west and began leading the group that way.

As they walked she asked Alistair about the joining ceremony. "There really isn't anything I can tell you about that, you'll find out soon enough" he said his tone was grim.

The men talked amongst themselves for a time, Jory talked about his training to be a knight and asked Alistair where he learned his skills with a sword and shield. She had been only half listening to their conversation when she stopped dead in her tracks and turned around.

She couldn't have heard that her mind screamed. "You're a templar?" said Shelina, shock and fear evident on her face as she took a step back away from him. "You were a mage killer?"

"No, no, its not like that" he said as he noted the look on her face. "I never actually became a templar, Duncan recruited me before I took my vows. So technically I'm not a templar at all. Duncan thought my templar abilities might be useful against darkspawn so I've kept them up." He realized his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth.

"So you can sense magic, drain mana, torture mages?" she asked. Her tone had changed as she spoke to him, the indifferent mask sliding back into place on her face. All emotion gone.

Alistair looked worried, he rubbed the back of his neck and said "well I do still have some of the abilities, but I swear, I've never used them against mages. Except if you count darkspawn, they have mages too."

Shelina turned around and started walking deeper into the wilds without another word.

Alistair felt dejected; the woman he had been flirting with had left. He had seen it happen before his very eyes, she had looked at him with fear, even hatred. He looked down at the ground before he followed the recruits, fantastic he thought. I have now alienated a fellow warden, one that I will be spending time with in the future. That wasn't all though, he thought sourly, she was beautiful and he secretly enjoyed a woman like her paying attention to him.

He had noticed her beauty immediately, although he dare not tell her. He noticed how every man, and even some of the women had followed her with their eyes as she walked around the camp. He had never seen anyone who looked like her, she wasn't just beautiful, she was striking. It was hard not to notice. And now she probably would never speak to him again.

As they battled their way through the wilds he noticed that she seemed very much at home in this place. She looked like she belonged here. Her magic was powerful too, she threw fireballs and bolts of lightning at the darkspawn they faced. He still had his ability to sense magic and he knew that hers was strong. He dared not reach out to test what kind of magic she wielded, she still wouldn't speak to him. He thought it best to give her time to adjust to him being nearly a templar.

They found the ruins and she found herself face to face with another mage. This one dressed similar to a tribe member, but there were no particular markings or adornments which indicated a tribe.

"Well, well, well, what have we here? Are you a vulture perhaps?" the woman said as she walked down an old crumbling staircase. "Or are you a ghost, come to reclaim that which was removed long ago?"

"Removed by whom?" Alistair said behind her suspiciously. Then he said "don't listen to her, she looks chastened." Shelina smiled inwardly when he said this, but she studied the woman more closely.

She had dark hair pulled up in a messy bun and her skirt was made of strips of leather fastened together at the top by a wide belt. Her shirt and hood barely covered her upper body and left little to the imagination. She had the most unusual color eyes, they were yellow, no golden and seemed to almost glow. She was quite pretty actually. Shelina could sense her magic and knew that she could probably sense the same from her.

"Oh, do you fear that barbarians will swoop down upon you?" The woman said in a mocking tone. "yes" Alistair replied "swooping is bad."

"Even out here in the wilds we know that honey will catch more flies than vinegar." She said. "Who are you and why do you want them?"

Shelina knew that the woman was a powerful witch not to be crossed. "My name is Shelina and we were sent here to retrieve the documents."

"Well, its nice to see that at least one of you has some manners" she replied. "I am Morrigan and I know of the items you seek."

Alistair spoke up then saying "I suggest that you return the documents immediately, they are the property of the Grey Wardens."

"I cannot, because it was not I who removed them, it was my mother in fact."

"Would you be willing to take us to her then" asked Shelina. "Well now, that is a sensible request." Said Morrigan. "Follow me and I will lead you to her if you wish."

She followed Morrigan when she turned and walked away, the men behind her were muttering something about being turned into toads, but she ignored them. She was really starting to dislike the knight. She sighed, a knight, a thief, and a templar, could things get any better?

She thought about the templar, she had found him pleasant enough company, that was before he told her what he was. Now she would have to remain on her guard around him, she had enough expierences with templars to know that they could never be trusted.

She planned to ditch him as soon as they returned to camp, the man she met earlier from the Anderfels seemed like much better company. She guessed by his size alone that he was a competent warrior and she had seen the gleam in his eye when they met.

Before she knew it they had entered a small clearing and she noted that standing in front of an old weather worn house was an old woman. This must be Morrigan's mother she thought.

Introductions were made and the woman handed over the documents that they had come to retrieve. Shelina had a strange feeling about the woman though, she sensed great power from her. She also talked in riddles which was strange. She gave them no trouble though and before long they were on their way back to Ostagar their tasks completed.


	5. The Joining

Sorry it took me so long to update, as always hope you enjoy and bioware owns all. Reviews are welcome and encouraged!

~oOoOoOo~

Chapter 5 – The Joining

The way back through the wilds was thankfully uneventful. By the time they entered the camp, Shelina was looking forward to a hot meal and sleep. All of them were tired from the days activities, but Alistair insisted that they find Duncan immediately upon returning to the camp.

"Ah you have returned, have you been successful?" Duncan asked. Alistair answered for them "we have."

"And you found the treaties as well?" Alistair nodded his response, "we met with a woman at the ruins whose mother had taken the treaties for safekeeping." Duncan raised an eyebrow at this but made no comment. "At least we have them, we will need to ensure that they are not lost to us again as we may need to call upon our allies if this battle does not go as planned."

"Do you have doubts about the coming fight with the darkspawn?" Shelina asked. "There are always doubts when a battle draws near, but do not concern yourself now, Alistair take them to the old temple so that we may begin the ritual. We will be meeting another senior warden and his recruits there."

"How many others are there, I thought we were the only ones" Shelina asked. "One of the other senior gray wardens has been scouting for recruits as well and his group will be joined at the same time as you."

Shelina nodded, it made sense that if this was a true blight that there would be more than just the three of them. They would probably need as many gray wardens as they could find.

Duncan turned to Alistair then "I will join you shortly." Alistair bowed his head in acknowledgement and they followed him across the camp and up a flight of stairs to what appeared to be a secluded part of the camp. Shelina noted that there wasn't much left of the original structure, mostly crumbling walls and chunks of marble. There was a stone table or perhaps it had once been an altar at the far end of the ruins.

No one spoke, all of them feeling the tension build as they waited to learn what the joining ceremony would entail. Finally Duncan arrived with a tall man dressed in armor similar to his own, although it was heavier in make. The man had short brown hair cut close to his scalp and a moustache of the same color, his hair had streaks of grey in it and the lines around his blue eyes betrayed his age. This must be the other senior gray warden.

As she watched she noticed an odd group following the man, there was a dwarf dressed in heavy armor and two humans. These must be the other recruits.

Duncan clasped the forearm of the older warden and they exchanged greetings. "Henrick, it is good to see you again, it has been too long."

"Indeed" The man Henrick replied "I only wish that it were under better circumstances." Duncan bowed his head and the two of them retreated toward the stone table speaking in hushed tones leaving the recruits to themselves.

Daveth was the one who spoke to the group first "My name's Daveth, how did you lot end up here?" It was the dwarf who responded "I'm Jarvick, and this here's Alec and Breck he said turning to the men in turn.

Shelina could not recall meeting a dwarf before, he was short and stout with a thick beard that was intricately braided. She studied each of the newcomers in turn, the man, Alec had dark unkempt hair and warm brown eyes, he spent most of his time staring at the ground and she could tell that his journey to become a gray warden was not an easy one, she could see the pain he tried to hide in his eyes.

The other man was shorter, with longish hair pulled back from his face, his eyes were grey and they seemed to be watching her in a way that made her uncomfortable.

They didn't have much time for greetings because Duncan turned to them and said "it is time for the joining to begin." As they watched he walked to the stone table on which a large silver goblet now stood.

Henrick stood near Duncan and they faced the recruits with grim looks on their faces. "You have been called forth to become Gray Wardens, the order was founded during the first blight, so it was that the first Gray Wardens drank of darkspawn blood and mastered their taint."

"You mean we have to drink the blood of those…creatures?" The knight Jory asked incredulously. His face revealed his revulsion at the thought; Shelina couldn't help but agree. After fighting those disgusting things, the thought of drinking their blood was disturbing to say the least. Her stomach turned upside down at the mere thought.

"This is the source of our power and our victory, as the first gray wardens have done before you. Those that survive become immune to the taint."

"Those that survive?" Jory's voice had taken on an edge to it, it was obvious that the man was losing his nerve, would he back out at the last minute? Shelina wondered.

"What do you mean those who survive" asked Daveth cautiously. "Not all who drink of the taint will survive, and those who do are changed forever." Duncan's tone was grim. "You will be able to sense the darkspawn, and we use this ability to slay the archdemon." Said Alistair.

Shelina's mind was reeling; did this mean that she would eventually become one of those things? But Duncan, Henrick, and the others wardens didn't look like darkspawn. They still looked like men. She tried to calm her nerves and remembered that if it wasn't for becoming a warden she would still be locked in the tower with the other circle mages. Was this worth the price for freedom? She closed her eyes and remembered how she hated the tower and how miserable her life had been there, yes it was worth it. At this point she would do almost anything to make sure that she never had to go back there, even if it meant drinking barrels of blood, she would do it!

Duncan called Daveth forward first, he turned and said "if you would speak the words Alistair." Alistair bowed his head and began reciting something that sounded like a prayer, Shelina wasn't listening though. She was watching intently as Daveth brought the cup to his lips and said "down the hatch" and drank.

For a moment everything was quiet as all the recruits seemed to hold their breath waiting for his reaction. And then it came with a vengeance, he grabbed at his throat and began coughing, he seemed not able to catch his breath and before they knew it he was lying on the ground before them, dead.

The breath she had been holding came hissing out of her mouth, was this what would happen when her turn came? She prayed to the Gods that she would be spared, she did not want her life to end here in this place.

The next one called forward was Alec, he too fell to the ground gasping for breath, but as he fell his eyes rolled back in his head and a look of pure terror crossed his features before his face went slack. Duncan and Henrick moved to check his pulse and nodded to each other, "he will live" said Duncan.

The next to be called was Jory, Shelina was having a hard time staying still. Her body screamed at her to run from the insanity she had witnessed so far, she clenched her fists and closed her eyes to keep herself from bolting. She heard swords being drawn and next thing she knew Jory lay dead on the ground along with Daveth.

It felt surreal, they all in turn moved forward to take the cup after that, she had a hard time keeping track of who survived and who didn't as her mind was spinning and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to convince herself that this was not a nightmare and that she was indeed awake.

As her turn came she had to fight with all her willpower to bring the cup to her lips. The liquid inside was black and thick, the smell nearly overpowering her senses; her mind screamed at her that this was wrong! With shaking hands she closed her eyes and brought the cup to her lips. The liquid burned as it entered her mouth, she felt like she had swallowed liquid fire, she could feel it traveling down her throat and then she heard whispers that grew louder and louder until they were screams.

She wasn't sure if it was she herself that was screaming, her whole body burned and the pain was white hot traveling to her joints and making her fall to her knees. Images flashed in her mind, images of blood and death, the faces of the creatures they killed to obtain the blood and from somewhere distant she heard something that reminded her of humming, her skin prickled and she felt as if thousands of needles were pressing into her flesh. The humming grew louder until it was the only thing she heard as she pressed her hands to her ears to make the noise stop, then she saw something that turned her blood cold even as it burned.

The image of a huge dragon loomed in her vision, it opened its mouth and spit fire in a huge arc around its body, she thought that her ears would burst the noise was now so loud. Pain, deep and intense flowed through her before her mind finally turned to gray and then black as her eyes rolled back in her head and she passed into blissful unconsciousness.

Duncan and Henrick exchanged glanced as they looked at the carnage they had wrought, Duncan asked Alistair to take Shelina back to the tent that had been allowed for her to recover. Other wardens came forward then and assisted in removing the dead and the injured were carried to tents as well to be watched over until they would waken.

Alistair reached down and picked up Shelina, she was so light in his arms. His feelings were conflicted, while he was glad that some of the recruits had survived the joining, he felt bad for those that would not see another sunrise. He thought of Jory's wife at home waiting for him to return and a child that he would never see.

Duncan came over to rest a hand on his shoulder as if sensing his thoughts, "it is a high price we wardens pay, but in the end it is necessary to ensure that the arch demon is defeated." Alistair nodded and left carrying Shelina.

He laid her gently on the bedroll and covered her with the blankets as he settled back for the vigil to come. Many a gray warden recruit had been lost in the past when they awakened from the nightmares and had no one to assure them that they were just that nightmares, at least for now.

Duncan had told him that in the beginning when the first wardens drank the blood many were lost and they had learned since that every new recruit who had recently joined had to have another watch over them to make sure that their mind remained intact. Alistair frowned as he thought of this, not only was it possible to die drinking the blood, but some that had survived may have to be put to the sword because their mind had fractured; being unable to deal with the images and sounds that assaulted them while sleeping.

Alistair desperately hoped that all the recruits would survive the night, he prayed to the maker as he watched over the woman in his charge.

As he watched her sleep he couldn't help but notice that she looked peaceful, her features took on a soft quality in the dimness of the tent and Alistair noted that the lines of stress around her eyes and mouth were gone. She had an exotic beauty to her and Alistair admitted to himself that while he had admired women before, from a distance of course, this one was different. Ever since the first moment he met her he had wanted to protect her and the feeling was strange to him.

He could not understand why this strange woman brought about these feelings of protection. He had never been the knight in shining armor type and most women avoided him after their first meeting because he in truth had no idea how to act around them. Women were a mystery to a man who had been raised in the chantry. The only women he had ever been around were sisters of the faith and they most definitely did not look like her.

While he sat there mulling over these thoughts another warden came into the tent to join in the vigil. It was an unwritten rule that the sleeper would be watched over by two wardens at all times.

He was joined by a man he knew as Garrett, they had gone through their joining together and they were close in age and got along well.

"So the woman survives." He said.

"So it would seem" said Alistair. "I heard that she is a barbarian from one of the chasind tribes, is that true?" he asked. "That is what Duncan said, she was brought from the circle tower but before that she had been living in the wilds near here with her tribe." He stated. "I wonder what life was like for her, how difficult it must have been living off the land and then suddenly to be thrown inside a locked tower." Alistair heard himself say, he could relate to what she had gone through though she probably would disagree.

He was raised in Redcliff during his early years only to be sent to the chantry to train as a templar against his will. He himself had hated it there, he never felt as if he belonged. The others all treated him as if he were some kind of lowlife and he spent most of his time trying to prove himself. It was one of the reasons he had become so skilled with a blade, he wanted to prove to himself that he was worthy and in the end it had been the one thing that had singled him out from the others. Its also what made Duncan consider him for the gray wardens.

If it had not been for Duncan he probably would have taken his vows by now and there was a possibility he would himself be one of the templars stationed at the tower to watch over the mages. He shuddered at the thought as Garrett spoke again.

"She is really beautiful, isn't she?" he said to Alistair. Alistair didn't want to admit to another warden that he agreed with him and so he said, "I guess so" but his voice must have given him away because Garrett smirked at him and tilted his head as if he didn't believe what he said.

"Oh come now Alistair, you can't tell me you didn't notice, you were the one to carry her here. All of the wardens are talking about her, it is rare indeed to have a female among our ranks and to have one that looks like her, well.." his words trailed off as he looked at the woman's sleeping form. "It will make the cold nights around the campfire much more interesting now won't it?" he said as he raised his eyebrow.

Alistair did not like the way Garrett referred to her, it made his hair stand on end. He knew that the man was only joking, and was a gentleman at heart, but still he wondered about how things would change with a woman in their midst.

Those strange feelings he had been battling since meeting her surfaced again and he found that he had the sudden urge to punch Garrett or perhaps pull Shelina to him in a protective embrace. His thoughts began to wander farther and he shook his head as he refocused his mind. Perhaps he would be using his templar training more than he ever suspected he would.

His conversation with Garrett turned to more neutral topics as they discussed the upcoming battle and the roles that each of them would play. Before he knew it he was getting sleepy himself and Garrett told him to rest that he would take first watch over their charge.

Alistair found that he could not argue with his friend as his eyes were drooping and already half closed. He reclined in the tent determined to rest for only a short while and was asleep within minutes.


	6. Chapter 6

I am sorry that it has taken me so long to update, with the holidays and some drastic changes in my home life things have been crazy. I promise that I have not forgotten about this story though and intend to see it through to the end. As always Bioware owns all.

~OoOoOoOo~

Chapter 6

Garret woke Alistair while it was still dark, "Its your turn brother, I have listened to you snore long enough" he said with a smile. Alistair was grateful for the rest, "did anything happen while I was asleep?" he asked. "No, its been pretty boring really, so far nothing." "Hmmm" responded Alistair "saved the screaming rage for me then huh?"

"But of course" Garrett responded "would you expect anything less of me?" They both snickered at this and Garrett settled back in the tent as Alistair rubbed his eyes and tried to gauge what time it was. He was glad that Shelina seemed to have gotten some rest Maker knew that from now on it would be difficult for her.

He pushed the tent flaps open letting in fresh air and waited while the sun rose, the camp started to come to life and he could hear the sounds of people moving about the camp.

It wasn't long before the woman started to stir in her sleep, she was squirming in her bedroll. Soon the squirming changed to thrashing and she started mumbling in her sleep, he couldn't make out her words.

Alistair nudged Garrett and they both waited, knowing that the dreams had begun and that their vigil would soon be over. Her mumbling became louder and Alistair knew that she was speaking words, although he couldn't understand them. In her sleep she must have reverted to her native language.

The words had a deep guttural sound to them and they spilled quickly from her lips. Her thrashing was becoming more intense and the time to act had come.

Garrett positioned himself at her head and held her wrists down to keep from getting punched while Alistair moved to her side and started speaking in an attempt to wake her as gently as possible. He called her name and repeated, "Shelina, it's a dream, you must wake up, you are dreaming of the arch demon, focus on my voice and pull yourself out of it. You are in Ostigar, and you are a gray warden now." He kept repeating his voice getting louder until her eyes flew open, he saw no recognition in her eyes and he grabbed her shoulders speaking with urgency.

"Ataa u e tanok" she screamed "ataa u e tanok e ort a taana" They fought with the woman who squirmed and screamed and fought against the men trying to restrain her. Alistair noted that although she was small she was also stronger than she looked and she got in a few hits on him before he saw a glimmer of recognition in her eyes.

She was coming around and her struggles grew less. Finally she stopped altogether and said "you may release me now, I am fine." Both the men breathed a sigh of relief at her words and released their hold.

"How do you feel?" asked Alistair. "Ugh, like a band of ogres ran over me." The men both chuckled at that "it will pass, I assure you, are you hungry?"

"Hmm, I didn't think I would be, but yes, I am starving." The men laughed outright at that and shared a glance between the two of them. "What" Shelina asked.

"Oh its just that gray wardens have a reputation for having ravenous appetites, something to do with your body coping with the taint and all." Alistair responded.

"Well then" Garrett said "Alistair and I will get some water for you to wash up and take you to breakfast and then to see Duncan, he will be anxious to know how you are this morning."

Shelina nodded but then said "I don't have my pack, nor do I have any clean clothes to change into." "Ah, yes, that could be a problem as there aren't many women in the camp, but I'll see if I can find anything that will fit you."

"That will not be necessary, I only need my pack." She responded. They turned and left then, Garrett went to get the water while Alistair went to find her belongings leaving Shelina alone in the tent. She let out a loud sigh and let herself relax now that the men had left.

The dreams had been terrifying, but she would not allow them to see how badly they had affected her. She didn't want to appear weak in front of them. She closed her eyes and tried to steady herself, her mouth felt dry, she hoped that the worst was over.

The men returned quickly, Aistair had managed to find a shirt, tunic and breeches that looked usable enough as well as her pack. She decided to put on the tunic and leggings the men had brought her and save the mage robes for battle. After her ordeal the day before she felt that a proper bath was in order. She took her things and left the tent, she thought she remembered seeing a stream not far away and exited the camp as quietly as she could.

No one noticed her leaving it seemed and she blended into the shadows not wanting to be seen. She found the stream easily enough, it was cold but she found some soap root growing close to it that seemed to make up for the lack of warmth.

Shelina used her magic to warm the surrounding water, allowing her to languish in it. It felt good to wash all the grime and dirt off that had accumulated. She thoroughly enjoyed washing her long her hair and decided that she would use the feathers she had found.

She left her hair down and wove the eagle feathers into the left side as was traditional for her people. She also wove in a few long braids into her hair. It had the desired effect as it kept her long hair from falling into her face but still allowed it to hang down her back. If she had any ornaments she would have woven beads or shells into it. The feathers at the left side signified that she belonged to no man. Although she knew that no one in the camp would know of the significance of the feathers, it felt good to have something that reminded her of home.

She then changed into the tunic and breeches Alistair had found. They fit well enough, if a bit big, but for now it would do. She put her boots back on, they worked well while she was in the tower, but she would need something that would protect better against the cold and wet Ferelden weather. She would have to find something more suitable soon.

She would also need to find a pair of gloves as well. She frowned as she thought of this because she had no idea how to obtain them. She had no money and she had next to nothing to barter with.

After washing and changing she left the stream and headed back into the camp. She followed her nose to the cooking fire.

She was greeted by the other wardens with smiles and claps on the back, it was a bit overwhelming. Kenalan spied her and smiled broadly and waved, she waved back and he came over and embraced her in a bear hug. "Ah, so yee have passed yer joinin, I'm glad for yee." His smile was infectious and she couldn't help but smile back at the big man.

As they ate Shelina looked around for the other recruits she had met the night before. She decided to find Alistair and ask him as her memories were still a bit fuzzy. He frowned as he answered her question, "Alec survived as did Jarvick, as for the others" he paused unsure of how to continue. "They didn't make it did they?" "No" was all he said.

They were silent after that, neither of them having anything else to say. Shelina was glad that she had survived the joining ceremony. She had not survived the last few years at the tower only to die the minute she got a taste of freedom. She wasn't sure what exactly that freedom meant at the moment, but it was better than being locked up.

Just then Garrett walked up to Shelina, she had seen him earlier after she awoke from her nightmares and recognized his face, but did not know his name. He smiled at her as he walked over. He was young and Shelina thought that he had kind eyes. "I didn't have time to introduce myself properly the last time we met, my name is Garrett." He had an easy grace and a quick smile. Shelina felt like this was a man who was easy to talk to.

She looked forward to getting to know these gray wardens better, they seemed to be honest men and she was glad to be one of them. "Duncan wants to see you" Garrett said. She wandered off to look for him.

They found him at the center of the Gray Warden camp, talking with the older warden she had seen before at the joining. "How do you feel?" He asked her as she approached. "I still feel strange" she responded. "But I will be ready to fight if I am needed." She said as she bowed her head.

"Hopefully that will not be necessary right away, but we must all be ready when the word is given. Have Alistair and Garrett been helping you familiarize yourself with the camp?"

"Yes" she said, "but I could use a new pair of boots and some gloves, mine are not fit for use on the battle field." "Ah" he said, "go and see the quartermaster, tell him I sent you and he should give you the supplies you need."

"For now I have no other tasks for you to perform, return to me before the evening meal, all the new recruits will be there for some sword practice."

"As you wish" she said and wandered off once again. She decided to see the quartermaster first. The man was in a sour mood and it took all of her control to be civil with him. "I don't see why I have to supply you wardens for free" he said with a snarl. "Because if you don't there may not be much left of you and your wares once the darkspawn arrive."

He seemed to consider her words and finally relented with a decent pair of knee high leather boots and some fingerless gloves that looked like they belonged to an archer. They would be better than what she had at the moment so she decided not to harass the man further.

There was not much else to do so she found a quiet spot under a tree to observe the camp. Her quiet spot did not remain so for long though. As she watched a man in full armor was escorting a prisoner to the other side of the camp he put him into a bird cage like structure and locked him in.

Shelina watched it all without much interest, but the prisoner called her over. She wasn't sure why, but found herself with nothing else to occupy her time. After speaking with him he gave her a key to a crate. She didn't want to use the key during daylight, but perhaps later the opportunity might present itself.

It was nearing the time that she agreed to meet Duncan so she went to the wardens area. Everyone seemed to have congregated in the area and Duncan was speaking to some of the wardens when he noticed Shelina's arrival. She noted that Alec and Jarvick the dwarf were there as well.

"Ah and so the last of the new recruits has arrived," he said with a smile. Shelina was confused, "I thought that now would be a good time to assess the skills of our newest members and now that you are here we can begin."

"Shelina, I want you and Jarvick to spar, prepare yourselves."

"What?" yelled Jarvick. "You want me to fight a woman? You've got to be joking, no offense miss, but my ax can take you down with one swing!" He said this with a loud voice and an incredulous look on his face. He looked at Duncan as though the man had lost his mind.

Duncan smiled serenely as he looked from Shelina to Jarvick. "I am most certainly not kidding, I think that the two of you will be a good match up, brute strength vs agility and magic." His smile deepened and he gestured for the two of them to come to the center of the camp.

The dwarf laughed heartily and said "ok, ok, joke's over, now which of you lads wants to test my ax?"

Shelina could stand it no longer, the dwarf obviously believed that she could not stand against him and decided that she would bait him. "What's the matter, are you afraid of a woman?" She said with a smirk. The other wardens had moved back and formed a loose circle around the dwarf and the woman.

"Are you afraid that I might best you, that would no doubt be a blow to your manhood, hmmm?" she said. Jarvick took the bait. "Bested?" he laughed "I doubt it, I'm just trying to keep you from hurting yourself little lady."

"Its not me that you need to worry about" Shelina said as she approached the dwarf. "if you insist, I'll try not to hurt you too badly, at least not more than what the healers can put back together."

This could be fun, she thought. Perhaps the men in the camp would give her some respect and stop thinking of her as a weak woman. She pulled her daggers from her pack as she cleared her mind for the battle to come. She closed her eyes and focused her magic, the blades glowed an eerie blue as the magic flowed through them.

When she opened her eyes she glanced at the men that surrounded her. Alistair and the others were watching intently. The dwarf picked his ax up off the ground as he approached her, "ok girlie, show me what you got."


End file.
